The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue Des Martyrs (32 page)

But it was late. Midnight. Time to go home. Tomorrow would be another day on the only street in Paris.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

. . .

O
N THE DAY THE SATIRICAL NEWSPAPER
CHARLIE
Hebdo
printed its first edition after twelve of its journalists were killed by terrorists in January 2015, I lined up before dawn at the newsagent’s shop on the street where I live. I asked to buy twenty copies; Jean-Marc Lépine, the owner, told me there was a quota. He sold me one.

Lépine, like every other newspaper vendor in Paris, sold out quickly. That issue of
Charlie Hebdo
was reprinted, and the next morning, I queued up again. Again, he sold me one copy. The exercise continued, and by the third morning, people standing in line outside the shop were getting to know one another. One woman said she detested the vulgarity of the paper but was buying a copy for her daughter, who had already left for work. One man asked me to hold his place so that he could run over to the rue des Martyrs to buy
chouquette
pastries for everyone in line. There was a lively discussion about the different perceptions of a free press in the United States and France.

There were reminiscences about
Hara-Kiri,
the monthly satirical magazine and predecessor to
Charlie Hebdo
. In the 1960s,
Hara-Kiri
’s offices were located on rue Choron off the rue des
Martyrs. Georges Wolinski, the cartoonist, and Cabu (Jean Cabut), the comic strip artist and caricaturist, had been early contributors to
Hara-Kiri
and longtime staff members of
Charlie Hebdo.
They were killed in the terrorist attack. Their spirits were with us as we waited for the newspaper they believed in.

Meanwhile, Lépine was losing his patience with people who had never bothered to venture into his shop before the
Charlie Hebdo
fever and probably never would again after it subsided. I felt a bit guilty myself. I am one of those dinosaurs who still believe in home-delivery subscriptions—in my case, four daily newspapers and about a dozen weekly and monthly magazines. So I started bringing Lépine small peace offerings: a
pain au chocolat
one day, a bag of clementines the next. On the sixth day of lining up, he handed me a plastic bag with ten copies of
Charlie Hebdo,
and on the seventh day, another plastic bag with another ten.

Such is the spirit in my neighborhood. So my deepest debt in writing this book is to the people who live and work on and around the rue des Martyrs. They shared their stories, welcomed me into their homes and shops, and were never too busy to talk. They gave me lessons: about food, wine, architecture, history, religion, literature, family, secondhand clothing, gilding wood, mouse catching, art restoration, knife sharpening.

Most of all, they gave me their trust.

The idea for the book started small. Susan Edgerley, the wonderful
New York Times
Food editor, assigned me to write a page-long story about the closing of the rue des Martyrs’ fish store and its effect on the neighborhood—and on me. I distributed laminated copies of the story to the merchants on the street. They were so enthusiastic that I dared to think big and write more.

My friends came through for me, big-time, as they have in
the past. Susan Fraker, who worked with me at
Newsweek
back in the 1970s, flew to Paris to edit a draft of the book ten days before deadline; we finished in six. Barbara Ireland, a gifted former
New York Times
editor, combed through every line of the manuscript—three times. Jeffries Blackerby, my former editor at the
New York Times
’
T Magazine,
helped shape the manuscript and offered strategic advice. Amy and Peter Bernstein gave it structure at the very beginning. My art historian friend Lin Widmann and my novelist friend Sanaë Lemoine helped with crucial last-minute copyediting. Elisabeth Ladenson gave me a new appreciation for nineteenth-century French literature. Paul Golob provided inspiration laced with humor.

Stephen Heyman, Donna Smith Vinter, Farideh Farhi, Joyce Seltzer, Julia Husson, Geraldine Baum, Maureen Dowd, Carol Giacomo, and Jude Smith were rock-solid pillars of support. My French friends, notably Philippe Hertzberg, Florence Coupry, Bertrand and Marie-Christine Vannier, Bruno Racine, Gérard Araud, Jean-Claude Ribaut, and Abel Gerschenfeld, offered guidance on all things Parisian, from the big to the little. Once again, Ron Skarzenski worked his magic in resolving every technical glitch.

Philip Pullella, a longtime journalist friend from Rome, helped deliver my letter of invitation to Pope Francis. Sébastien Guénard hosted a potluck party at Miroir, his bistro on the rue des Martyrs. Pablo Veguilla, a gifted opera tenor, sang his heart out that night.

Thierry Cazaux, the street’s unofficial historian, shared his private collection of old photographs, maps, and prints. Michel Güet and Didier Chagnas were patient and passionate tour guides. Tova Leigh-Choate patiently explained the complicated, convoluted, and conflicting stories about Saint Denis. Reverend
John W. O’Malley, S.J., refined my understanding of Saint Ignatius Loyola and the early Jesuits. Dana Prescott, director of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbria, Italy, invited me to live and work there among artists, musicians, and writers in the summer of 2014.

Thanks also to Andrew Wylie, my literary agent, and Jeffrey Posternak, his deputy, who once again were faithful, passionate partners in a book project. Jill Bialosky, my editor at Norton, embraced the idea of an offbeat book about a single street with enthusiasm. Bonnie Thompson was a patient, precise copy editor driven by the pursuit of excellence as she improved and corrected the text.

I draw energy from collaborating with young people, and I surrounded myself with several of them, who worked very hard for very little pay. Day after day for a year, Emerik Derian, a brilliant young Renaissance man, was at my side, transcribing interviews, unearthing obscure facts, solving technical problems, and fact-checking. Elizabeth Rosen was a never-take-no-for-an-answer research assistant and a creative mistress of social media.

Marie Missioux, Reilley Dabbs, Benjamin Chaballier, Assia Labbas, Laura Miret, Anne-Louise Brittain, and Ashley Hamill joined up as researchers at various stages, carrying out both routine and impossible assignments. David Broad of Left of Frame Pictures, Cedric Boutin, Benjamin Chaballier, and Naurin Zhang documented life on the rue des Martyrs in video.

As always, the most important support came from my family. My older daughter, Alessandra, played cheerleader from afar, urging me on and telling me jokes. Throughout her life, she has touched me—and just about everyone she meets—with her
inner joy. My mother-in-law, Sondra Brown, offered love, support, and hospitality in New York.

My younger daughter, Gabriela, was my visual inspiration. She used her charm and brilliant photographer’s eye to coax rue des Martyrians into posing for her. Jean-Michel Rosenfeld opened up his wallet to show her the yellow Jewish star he had been forced to wear during the Nazi Occupation; Oscar Boffy bent the rules and allowed her to photograph Michou’s transvestite cabaret show; knife sharpener Roger Henri made a special trip to the street for her. Gabriela’s photos capture the spirit of the street through its physical look and its daily life and, most important, through the characters who live and work there. Some are included in the book; others have been published and posted elsewhere.

My husband, Andrew Plump, believed in this book as a way to share the magic of our corner of Paris. He brainstormed about its themes and read the manuscript with lawyerly precision. He shares my excitement for the neighborhood and the rue des Martyrs and, if truth be told, may do more of the food shopping on it than I do. Andy, you are my partner in our long adventure in Paris—and in life.

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